Python found in cushions of couch left in vacant apartment

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NEW YORK (CNN) — It’s normally the domain of loose change and missing remotes, but after what one couple discovered in the sofa, you might think twice about sticking your hands down below the cushions.

A Long Island couple found a 3-foot python underneath a couch cushion Monday, according to the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The apartment, located in Holbrook, had recently been vacated and the couple was moving in, SPCA spokesman Roy Gross said. He was not certain when the previous tenant left it, but the snake appeared healthy and was not dehydrated.

“You can imagine how shocking it was,” he said of the unexpected housewarming gift. “You’re not expecting to find a snake there.”

SPCA officials took the snake, which they determined to be a ball python. A ball python is a nonvenomous python species found in Africa that can grow up to 3-5 feet long. “They are generally a very docile snake,” Gross said.

There’s good news for the slithery couch potato: It’s since been adopted by another family.